UN urges Equatorial Guinea to halt plans to return US deportees to home countries

Human rights experts at the United Nations issued a rare public appeal to Equatorial Guinea , urging the West African country to halt its plans to return US deportees to their home countries where they face political violence, torture and death. The statement , cosigned by a representative of the African Commission on Human and People’s rights, adds diplomatic pressure on Equatorial Guinea , one of the world’s most repressive regimes, to comply with international human rights standards and avoid refoulement, or the expulsion of people to countries where they face persecution. “States must ensure that no one is returned, directly or indirectly, to a situation where their life, freedom or physical or mental integrity would be in danger,” the experts implored in a statement on Wednesday. The Trump administration made deals with dozens of countries to receive US deportees, as part of the president’s goal of “mass deportation”. The US gave Equatorial Guinea $7.5m to take in third-country nationals, who had been granted protections against expulsion to homelands where they faced persecution. The UN’s public plea came after several deportees sent by the US to Equatorial Guinea said security officials presented nine of the US deportees with salvo-conductos – temporary travel documents – and told them they would be deported imminently to their home countries. “Equatorial Guinea should never be treated as a safe country for migrants or asylum seekers. …